Penn State Nittany Lions Add 4-Star Receiver Chris Godwin

By Rick Stavig

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly three months into College Football Recruiting 2014, one thing is abundantly clear regarding the Penn State Nittany Lions class: they’re in the market for some playmakers in the receiving game. With the addition of four-star Chris Godwin on Tuesday, the Lions already have three wide receiver prospects committed to the 2014 class.

Godwin (Middletown, DE) is joining De’Andre Thompkins (Swansboro, NC) and Troy Apke (Mt. Lebanon, PA) as the receivers on board. All are very highly recruited, and all will be bringing electrifying playmaking skills into the fold.

Godwin offers excellent size at a well-built 6-foot 2, 200 pounds, and has been timed at just a shade under 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. It’s not just straight-line speed he possesses either, as he’s a superb punt returner as well.

He’s strong going across the middle and dancing the tightrope along the sideline, and is above average as a deep threat, but sometimes struggles with his get-off. Regardless, he’s got a ton of physical skills and should thrive in Bill O’Brien‘s offense.

Many are surprised the Lions still went after Godwin after Thompkins and Apke committed, considering the scholarship restrictions the Lions are facing. Many are projecting the Lions to bring on only 10-15 recruits in the 2014 class, and after adding the aforementioned receivers, Godwin seemed more of a luxury than a necessity.

But everyone knows you can never have enough playmakers, and incoming rock star quarterback prospect Christian Hackenberg will need some talent to work with if he’s going to overtake Michigan and Ohio Statein the Big Ten East.

The Lions’ class is right where it needs to be right now: three excellent receiver prospects, two playmaking, all-purpose running backs in Mark Allen (Hyattsville, MD) and Nick Scott (Fairfax, VA), and one rock-solid linebacker in Troy Reeder (Wilmington, DE). Just trust me, Reeder was made to play linebacker at Linebacker U.

Another concern regarding scholarship restrictions was academic eligibility, but all of the committed prospects right now are in good standing in that department.

All in all, O’Brien is doing a fantastic job so far with the 2014 class. He’s got as difficult of a recruiting job as anyone in the country right now, but it’s seemingly not deterring him from adding both talent and some needed depth. He’ll need to add some more depth in the trenches, but there’s still plenty of time left.

Rick Stavig is a National Recruiting Columnist for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on google.